The Christmas Gift
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: Phoenix needs to find the perfect Christmas gift for Miles and braves a cold day in order to go shopping. Unfortunately for Phoenix, this will turn out to be one of the most embarrassing days of his life... Teen, PxE


_A/N: This is a rewrite of a Christmas gift fic I wrote for Lyrical Rawr in 2007. I decided that the time had come for a rewrite so I have and I'm posting it as the first of my Christmas stories. :)_ _There is another one I'm currently rewriting, "The Wishing Well," a Christmas gift fic for ShadowSuzaku that I also wrote in 2007 that's going to be posted as a multi-chapter fic over the next three weeks, starting next week. :) Merry Christmas, everyone! :)_

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_Phoenix needs to find the perfect Christmas gift for Miles and braves a cold day in order to go shopping. Unfortunately for Phoenix, this will turn out to be one of the most embarrassing days of his life..._  
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'Tis the season to be silly! Happy December 1st, everyone! :D I always look forward to the Christmas season like a little kid in a candy store and is definitely one of my favourite holidays! :D I look forward to buying gifts, making Christmas goodies and even doing Christmas cards! :) I pop in my Boney M or Celtic Woman Christmas CDs and play away while I write. I've found that even the most boring and time consuming chores can be made much less taxing with music; in this crazy busy season, you need all the peace you can get! :D

Anyway, this little Christmas fic is ridiculously silly and, I sincerely hope, funny! [Of course, the sales clerk _is _exaggerated for comedic affect. I worked in retail back home in Canada myself for nearly two years before I got married and I know _how_ frazzled both customers and sales clerks can become at this time of year!] My hope is that this will give you a smile or a chuckle over the next few very busy weeks leading up to Christmas. :)

Lovingly beta-read by ShadowPhoenix [past] and Midnight-hunter [present]! Thanks to you both for your comments and critiques! :)

A special thank you to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for his support, love, nagging [when necessary] and for being the most wonderful man on the planet! I love you!

Hope you enjoy! As always, _any_ and _all_ comments are **GREATLY** appreciated and welcomed!

PS The colognes and perfumes mentioned-ie Green Tea, Sarah Jessica Parker et al-_are_ real and I looked them up at an online perfume/cologne store.

Rated Teen, humour/romance, Phoenix & Edgeworth

* * *

_December 24th  
9 A.M._

"Good morning, Wright," Miles greeted me cheerfully that Saturday morning as I stumbled into the kitchen, nearly knocking over the chair by the breakfast nook in the process, Miles wincing in sympathy. I cursed softly as my foot banged against the chair leg and I leaned against the wall, massaging the sore spot until the pain went away and managing, barely, to pull the chair back from the table before practically falling into it, my eyes still fuzzy and unfocused.

"Morning, Miles... " I mumbled, crossing my arms on the table and laying my head face down on them, groaning audibly with intermittent yawns. I didn't have a very good sleep the night before and I was feeling very much the worse for wear this morning.

Miles took a large porcelain mug from the cabinet above his head and set it down on the counter in front of him, filling it to the brim with coffee and walked over to the table, setting it down in front of me, his fingers gently stroking the top of my head. I sighed softly in pleasure as he did so, one eye cracking open blearily at the wonderful aroma in the mug in front of me. I breathed in the rich smell of the dark roasted coffee deeply.

"Late night again?" Miles asked quietly, his fingers slowly entangling themselves in my tousled hair. I smiled into my crossed arms, relaxing considerably as I felt his touch.

I nodded, my left hand slowly snaking out to touch the mug's handle, my fingers carefully curling around it. Once I was certain that I had a firm hold on it, I slowly sat up, lifted the mug to my lips and took a long swallow, smiling as I felt the hot, fragrant liquid sliding down my throat.

_That's better_, I thought, leaning back in the carved mahogany chair, Miles' fingers still gently massaging my head. I closed my eyes, leaning into those wonderful strokes, purrs of contentment rumbling from my lips. I could hear Miles' muffled chuckle up above my head and belatedly wondered what was so funny.

He smiled as he bent down and kissed my forehead tenderly, my blue eyes opening slowly to see his beautiful grey orbs looking at me with amusement. The corners of my mouth slowly tugged up into a tired smile as the coffee began to work its magic.

"Good morning, Miles," I said, craning my neck upward so that my lips met his in a gentle buss, feeling much more human than I had when I'd first stumbled in. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine, his eyes sparkling with hidden mischief, his sensuous lips curved into a breath-taking smile and I caught my breath as I reveled in the intensity of it.

"I'm glad." I meant it, too. He hadn't been sleeping well recently, either, so I was happy that he had finally gotten a good night's sleep. Truthfully, I wished that I could have said the same.

"How did you sleep once you came to bed?"

I shrugged, taking another careful sip of my coffee.

"Not overly well," I admitted, sighing loudly and rubbing my tired eyes. "I have _too _many things on my mind." My brow furrowed a little. "There's just something that's _really _bugging me about this case. Things just don't seem to fit and, for some reason, the clues and evidence we do have make _no_ sense."

Miles nodded, leaning down and rubbing his cheek against mine, murmuring soft words of comfort.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, his lips trailing wetly over my skin. I shivered at the very pleasurable sensations this simple action sent through my body, my lips curving into a saucy smile.

_Naughty Miles._

I grinned mischievously and fluttered my eyelashes at him flirtatiously, which was answer enough, with Miles chuckling at my sauciness.

"Tempting, I'll admit," he replied, regret filling his voice, "but I'm afraid that I have to spend some time at the office today in order to catch up on some work."

_Damn!_

"What was that, Wright?"

I blushed.

"Nothing," I said quickly, the familiar red flush creeping into my cheeks. Miles chuckled, bent over until his lips were an inch away from my ear and whispered something before he stood and walked into the living room, heading to the bedroom, whistling a merry tune. My face turned beet red as I took a large mouthful of the steaming hot brew and tried not to choke in the process.

_Miles Edgeworth, you play dirty!_ I thought grumpily, taking another sip of coffee, my mouth twisted into a snarl and muttering under my breath.

I resolved to get even with him later but, for now, I had more important things to think about. The _only_ thing that would take this attorney out into the cold and snow of a December morning... the _only_ thing that would prompt me to go out and comb the stores for hours on end, fighting rude customers, rude customers with kids and over zealous sales personnel... the _only_ thing that would find me wondering out loud if I had lost my mind after being jostled for the umpteenth time in the mall by the population as a whole that would be out in full force that day.

I had to find the _perfect_ gift for Miles for Christmas.

I had the ghost of an idea of what I wanted to get him but I wasn't sure that I would have success in finding it. Still, I resolved to try since I thought it would be the perfect gift for him and something that he would actually use. Miles was a _very_ practical person underneath all those frills and I knew that he wouldn't like something that he would consider to be frivolous or without any practical value. I had resolved to get him some cologne because, not only was it a practical gift that he could use as he wished on a daily basis, it also had the added benefit of a pleasant scent.

I was still mulling over different gift ideas when Miles left the house to go to the office. He gave me a quick buss on the mouth, whispered, "Love you, Wright" and then sailed gracefully out the door.

I looked after him appreciatively, then smiled and sat back to enjoy my mug of coffee.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Later that day..._

_December 24th  
7 P.M._

_What was I thinking?!_ I wondered as I trudged through the snowstorm on my way to the mall, the driving snow all but blinding me as it hit me in the face. I'd been to five stores and I wasn't able to find the gift I wanted to purchase for Miles. I was about to give it up as a hopeless task when I happened to glance over at the store across the street and saw a rack of promising gifts displayed prominently in the store window.

_It might be worthwhile to go and have a look,_ I thought as I stood on the corner, trying to see through the driving snow. _It couldn't hurt and it certainly beats standing out here in this miserable weather and freezing._

Having decided on a course of action, I headed to the crosswalk and waited until the light turned red, the traffic coming to a standstill. I walked across the street quickly, trying to ignore my burning eyes and practically ran into the store as soon as I got to the door, sighing in heartfelt relief as I stepped into the warm building. Christmas decorations were strung up everywhere, giving the place a very festive and cheery look.

There was also a dearth of madly rushing crowds and I felt a great surge of relief at that. Having had to deal with rude and rushing people for the past 4 hours, I found the prospect of a distinct _lack_ of crowds to be a most appealing one.

_What was it about the holidays that turns people into raving lunatics?_ I wondered as I wandered about the half-empty aisles, taking my time and looking at the gifts assembled on the various shelves. _It would be so much more pleasant if people would do their Christmas shopping earlier so they wouldn't have to rush so much on Dec. 24th._ I chuckled ruefully._ Like me.  
_

There was quite a variety of different gift ideas and I found myself perusing each shelf with undisguised pleasure, feeling very much like a kid in a candy store. I saw some adults with children looking at me curiously, some herding their children quickly past me and others staring openly and pointedly. I briefly wondered why I was a topic of such apparent interest but I ignored them as I continued to look through the various gifts on the shelf. My brow furrowed slightly as I thought about this one and that, held this teddy bear or that mug in my hands, weighing my options before deciding on an adorable teddy bear with a red velvet bow around its neck.

I knew that the stuffed animal wasn't all that practical but it was really cute and I thought that it would make the perfect accompaniment to his other gift.

I stood up, holding the teddy bear close to my chest as I perused another shelf, thinking hard about what I wanted to get him. There were so many different choices I was having trouble settling and choosing one just one item.

Shaking my head, I stood up and looked around me, my lips pursed. There wasn't one thing here I wanted on this shelf so I decided to look elsewhere in the store, hoping that there would be something I could get for Miles. But, as I prowled the aisles, I couldn't find a single thing I liked.

_Well, damn_, I cursed, stroking my chin thoughtfully while ignoring the weird looks being directed my way. _There isn't anything thing here that I think Miles would like. God, I have the worst luck._ I sighed with feeling. _I really don't feel like going back out into that storm simply to go to another store. I'll just to have to find something here. It shouldn't be that hard._

I started to turn to go in the other direction when I noticed three people standing there, staring at me with eyes as wide as saucers. _That _startled me, to say the least, and I jumped back a little in surprise noting that they backed away even further from me, step by slow step.

_What is going on here?!_ I wondered, marginally panicked by the strange way people were acting. _What on earth is so frightening about me that they're backing away?! Haven't they seen anyone Christmas shopping before?! _

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on so I decided that discretion would be the better part of valor and quickly made my exit. I was non-plused by the comments I could hear being whispered as I passed by, things like: _"Must be a punk–he's got that spiky hair!" "Mommy, are all people with spiky hair bad?" "Don't stare, dear, it isn't polite." "How much gel DOES he put in his hair to get it to stick out like that?!" "Don't walk behind him! If he stops short, your face could get impaled on his spikes!" "You mean to tell me that THIS guy is a...LAWYER?! They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel these days in law school if someone like him can get in!"_

_Gee, thanks,_ I groused as I heard that last comment, turning down another aisle quickly. _And a very Merry Christmas to you, too, you jerk!_

I felt my anger begin to rise rapidly but I quickly tamped it down since it was the Christmas season and I wasn't about to let some loud-mouthed jerk get to me. After all, I really did enjoy the holiday even though it was busy and always had a host of things that were bound to go wrong in the planning but I didn't really care about all that in the end, when all was said and done. I remembered with pleasure the soft light that always shone in Miles' eyes on Christmas morning when we sat down at the foot of the beautifully decorated tree we put up every year in the living room and exchanged gifts. He looked so happy when I handed him the brightly wrapped packages I had purchased for him and I lived for the child-like excitement it always brought to his face before he made an attempt to hide it under a facade of bluster.

_That_ always made me smile since I knew very well that he really did enjoy the holiday, deep down inside and, underneath that seemingly cold exterior, there was a man who loved Christmas in all of its forms. A smile spread over my face as I thought of this, letting all the annoyance I felt with that last comment slowly recede into the furthest corners of my mind to be replaced with a warm, cheery glow that came from within.

_There will always be Grinches in the world so why should I let any of them get to me?_ I reasoned, stopping in the middle of the aisle to take a closer look at men's colognes laid out very neatly in five rows on the three shelves they occupied. _What does it matter what they think? Why should I care? All that matters to me is that Miles and I are together and we're happy. That is what really counts, not what anyone else thinks._

Furthermore, I was, after all, shopping for a present for Miles and not standing up in a court of law. A smile spread over my face as I reflected on this, turning another corner and heading toward the front of the store beside the clerk's till. It didn't really matter what others thought of me since Miles' opinions were the _only_ ones that really counted, when all was said and done.

With that fresh wave of holiday spirit, I resolved to persevere in my search for the perfect gift. I needed to find him something extra-special to give to him on this, our 4th Christmas together. There was still one trying dilemma though: what to get the guy who very nearly has everything.

_A challenge, indeed_, I thought whimsically, stepping back to let a lady with three squirming kids in tow pass me by. _But I'm up for the challenge! Before I leave this store today, I_ **WILL** _have the perfect Christmas gift for Miles! Bring it on!_

Unfortunately for me, the last part of my thought was shouted out loud, bringing all activity to a virtual halt as customers and staff alike stared at me. I was standing there in the middle of the aisle, my arm lifted in the air over my head and shouting; once I realized this, I felt the color rise and my cheeks start to burn, a foolish smile plastered on my face. I swallowed hard as I slowly started moving, crab-wise, to the outer edges of the aisle, wishing fervently that the ground would open and swallow me.

To say that I was embarrassed was an understatement and I could feel all those pairs of eyes boring into the back of my head. I resolved, then and there, to find Miles' gift as quickly as possible and get home as soon as I decently could where I would put my feet up, drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream and try to forget this day _ever_ happened.

With this firmly in mind, I marched up to the cologne counter, looking closely at the wide variety on the shelves, trying to decide which one was the best one to purchase.

The salesclerk, a swarthy woman of about fifty-five with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a severe knot at the back of her head with bright, garish makeup, hovered in the background and watched me as I was looking at the rack of men's cologne behind her head. I didn't pay much attention to her...at least not at first; I was too busy looking over the row upon row of different colognes and trying to decide which one I thought Miles would most like. I hadn't noticed that she had sidled up to the counter like an ominous bird of prey and was looking at me through slitted green eyes, her slash of a mouth curving into what looked like a painful grimace but that actually passed, for her, as a smile.

When I finally _did_ notice her standing there staring at me, I could have sworn I felt all color drain from my face, leaving it a pasty white. My mouth refused to work and I stood there, staring at her in horrified silence. For some reason I couldn't really fathom, this woman scared the hell out of me. I couldn't really tell why since I wasn't certain if it was the garish make-up that made her look like an insane clown, the severe hairstyle or that she was looking at me like a cat eyeing a canary or a combination of all three.

I really hoped that she wouldn't speak to me–from somewhere deep down inside I feared that a deep and evil voice would emerge and her head would start spinning--but even this was denied me as she opened her mouth and began to speak.

"Good afternoon, Sir," she began, her voice loud and cawing like a crow's and I winced as that piercing voice penetrated my eardrums. "And welcome to McCrary's! The store where we have everything you need for Christmas!" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, her gaze appreciative, her gravelly voice purring as she eyed me, her mouth twisted into a smile. "And how may I help you, handsome?"

I stepped back a little from the desk, trying to put as much distance between myself and her as I possible could. "Ummmm..." I began, starting to sweat. "I'm...I'm looking for a gift for...my...ummm..."

"Your lady friend?" she put in, sounding disappointed and I belatedly wondered why although I was happy that she wasn't going to make any sudden moves that I couldn't reasonably dodge.

"Well... umm... no... my... my... uh..."

"Come on sonny, get that mouth of yours in working order and speak clearly so I can understand you! You sound like a squirrel in heat!"

_A WHAT?!?!_ My face burned with embarrassment.

"I mean...I'm looking for a gift for...for...a...friend," I stammered lamely, trying to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth where it seemed determined to stay, quailing under her critical gaze.

"_Friend_, eh?" she replied, her eyes gleaming. "And what kind of... _friend_... might that be?"

_Oh, damn... how the hell do I answer that?!_

"Umm... well..." I was starting to sweat bullets and all too uncomfortably aware that the salesclerk's voice carried extremely well and a small crowd of curious shoppers was beginning to congregate around the desk, all eyes looking right at _me_.

"Come on, sonny, I _don't_ have all day! What kind of _friend_ are you buying the gift for?"

I couldn't miss the emphasis that she put on the word _friend_ and I really was at a loss to explain how, contrary to her belief, that my friend wasn't a female but a male. I pulled at my collar a little, swallowing hard as I did so and decided, against all reason, to tell her who the gift was for if only to shut her up. Bad mistake.

"Well... truth be told... it's a gift for my..." I hesitated a moment before I leaned forward and whispered, "lover."

I regretted saying anything the minute it left my mouth since she reared back a little as if she'd been slapped and hollered out, "_Lover_?! You're buying a gift for your _lover_?!" which attracted even more attention, numerous pairs of eyes swiveling to look in our direction. I put my face in my hand, shaking my head in disbelief. I could have died from embarrassment and I'm sure that my face became even redder than it already was since I felt my skin getting very hot and I could hear the whispers behind me getting louder; I wished that I was anywhere but _here_ right now.

The salesclerk seemed totally oblivious to my obvious embarrassment since she kept right on talking as if nothing had happened. This only made me feel worse as she kept pointing out this fragrance or that again, assuming that my lover was female. I wanted to sink into the floor at this point.

"And here we have Chanel No. 5," she droned on, bringing me back to the present, the crowd around us becoming slowly larger as more people came to see what was going on over here. "It's an bit strong in scent but not too bad overall. A bit pricey though. Over here we have Lady Stetson, a nice crisp clean scent and very popular this time of year. It's also our best selling fragrance. Over in the right hand corner, we have White Diamonds, again a little on the pricey side but not too bad otherwise."

She looked immensely pleased with herself as she turned to face me, her arms crossed over her ample bosom. "Which would you like, sonny?"

I looked wearily at her, my face so hot you could have cooked breakfast on it.

"None," I replied, leaning against the side of the desk for support. "There's nothing there that I wanted." I sighed and stood up straight. "What I really want is–"

"How about Taboo? Granted it's a bit too strong for my taste _but_..."

"No."

"Green Tea?"

"Definitely not."

_Green tea?! Are you kidding me?! What kind of fragrance is that?! From the name, I'd have thought that you would_ drink _it, not_ wear _it!_

"Fendi? Design? Euphoria?"

"No, no and no."

_Can't this woman take a hint?!_

She just wouldn't quit and kept up the pace. "Sung? Romance? Opium? Mackie? Nude?" I looked at her blankly as she continued with the list. "Cool Water? D & G Light Blue? Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker? Casual?"

"NO!"

"Jessica Mc Clintock? L'Air Du Temps?" She took a breath and, before I could even open my mouth to say a word, she had the bit in her mouth and was off and running. "Amarige Marige? Burberry London?"

I groaned and put my face in my hands. "For the last time, **NO**! I'm **NOT** interested in **ANY** of them!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward until her angry face was only inches away from my own. "Then what the hell **DO** you want, sonny?! I can't stand her all day jawin' with you when you can't even make up your mind about what to get your girlfriend!"

"Oh, for the love of..." I grated out, clenching my hands into fists. "For the last time, I. don't. **HAVE**. a. girlfriend! Please stop showing me women's perfumes; I don't want **ANY** of them!"

"Bein' a little picky there, aren't we, sonny?" she retorted, her eyes narrowing into evil little slits that made her look even more frightening, if that was at all possible, leaning in even closer until we were, quite literally, nose to nose. I couldn't move back because there was someone standing there behind me, his lips twitching as he tried hard _not_ to laugh. "You think you're **TOO** good for this here establishment, sonny boy?!"

She uncrossed her arms and jabbed her index finger at me, her eyes blazing with rage while I tried to stay out of her way as much as I possibly could. "Well, let me tell you something, you spiky-haired little--"

"**OBJECTION**!" I yelled desperately, now at the end of my rope. I stepped back a little, spreading my legs in a challenge stance, my arm sweeping out to point at her. Taken aback a little by this sudden turnabout, she stepped back a few paces, her eyes still blazing with green fire although I did notice that she didn't look as certain as she was when this encounter first started.

At least it threw her off enough that she was stunned into silence for a few minutes, the only downside being that even _more_ people came to see the show, some openly pointing. I needed to get out of here, the faster, the better and, judging by the glowering look that was slowly returning to her face as she shot a killing glare at me, she felt the same way.

"Look, " I said, trying my best to mollify her since I was beginning to feel like a pin cushion, "how about I pick out something. Fair enough?"

She glared daggers at me.

"You sayin' that I can't do my job, sonny?" she snarled, leaning over and giving me a dirty look. This was getting me nowhere fast and annoying the savage clerk in the process. Neither being a good thing.

"No, I'm not. I'm simply--" I started to say but was soon cut off by a howl of indignation from the very offended and put out clerk. I gave up trying to reason with her at this point since _nothing_ I said-or _didn't_ say-was likely to make any difference; I just wanted to pay for my purchases and leave while I had my skin intact as she looked more than capable of separating me from it.

I looked over her head, my eye catching a small grey, rectangular box over to the right. I squinted as I looked at it, ignoring her increasingly shrill editorial comments about my manners or lack thereof, where I could go and how best to make the trip there. I leaned over a little more, trying to get a closer look at it.

"_Lauder. Pleasures For Men Cologne_" I read and brightened quickly. This would be _perfect_ for Miles' second gift!

When she paused in her tirade to take a breath, I quickly intoned, pointing to the _Pleasures Cologne for Men_ and said, "I'd like to get that, please."

She snapped her mouth shut in surprise, whirling to look at the shelf behind her.

"But... but... those are... _men's_ colognes," she said with a hint of malice, giving me the gimlet eye. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you want to get your girlfriend _MEN'S_ cologne?! Why, I never saw the beat of it! How _DARE_ you get something so ridiculous! Why, I oughtta take you outside and teach _you_ some manners, you spiky-haired–!"

"It's not a gift for my girlfriend!" I yelled back, my voice surpassing hers by sheer volume. "It's for my boyfriend! **MY BOYFRIEND**!!!"

Complete and utter silence reigned after this pronouncement; the salesclerk looked like she wanted to faint and the titters and laughter began again shortly afterward, steadily increasing in volume. For the fifteenth time that day, I wished I'd kept my mouth shut.

My face, I'm sure, resembled a cooked lobster at this point. There was _nothing_ else I could do except to pick up the last remaining shreds of my dignity and leave the premises as quickly as possible, hoping that no one in the crowd recognized me.

_Fat chance of that._

I hurriedly put the brown teddy bear on the counter and asked her to get me the Pleasures for Men cologne, which she did without another word. She then rang up the purchases, which I paid for by using my credit card.

She placed the teddy bear gingerly into the gift bag and, picking up the cologne with a look of distaste she asked stiffly, "Would you like this gift wrapped?"

"Please," I said and watched quietly while she did so with a quickness and efficiency that impressed me. After she was done placing it in the bag with care, she pushed it over to me, a false smile fixed firmly on her face, her fingers quivering a little.

"Have a good day, Sir," she said without enthusiasm as I picked up the bag, "and please come again."

_Not bloody likely!_

I smiled as pleasantly as I could, wished her a good day and a Merry Christmas and beating a hasty retreat as laughter swelled up behind me, steadily increasing in volume as I practically raced to the door, yanked it open and ran out, comments and laughter following quickly on my heels.

I didn't notice a lone figure standing there on the corner as I tore by, his arms full of brightly wrapped packages, watching the whole scene with undisguised amusement. Unbeknownst to me, he, too, had been in McCrary's doing his Christmas shopping and witnessed everything, heard my desperate "**OBJECTION**!" and saw my hasty retreat. I would have been mortified had I known that my lover was standing on the corner, a witness to my embarrassment, laughing himself silly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I stomped into the house an hour later, red-faced and out of breath. I'd practically run all the way home from McCrary's, never so glad to get out of somewhere before in my life with the thought that I had just barely escaped being skinned alive.

After I unlocked the back door and stepped wearily inside, I shut the door and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath, the gift bag still clutched tightly in my hand. I was very glad that I hadn't dropped it in my mad dash home, which was probably about the only thing that had gone right that evening. A few minutes later, I pushed myself away from the door and set the bag on the floor beside me. I shrugged off my jacket, unwound my scarf and hung them up in the foyer on the peg next to the back door and took off my boots, setting them on the rug next to the light switch.

_Well_, I mused as I slowly climbed up the steps to the door that connected with the kitchen,_ even though this shopping trip was a_ complete _disaster, there is_ one _small consolation, at least: Miles didn't see it. I'd never hear the end of it if he did._

I shuddered slightly as I reached for the doorknob and twisted it, pushing it open slightly and very surprised to see the kitchen bathed in soft candlelight, the table set with our best china and crystal tableware. I looked up to see Miles standing at the counter, a smile on his face. I simply stared at him, unable to say a word.

"Welcome back," he said, coming over to me and wrapping his arms around me while I stood there mute. "I was wondering if you'd gotten lost along the way." He chuckled softly.

_Ha ha. Very funny, Miles,_ I thought sourly though I did allow myself to melt into his arms. _If you only knew the day I had today..._ I grimaced. _On second thought, maybe it's better you don't know_ what _kind of day I had._ I closed my eyes, feeling warmth spread through me. _I've never been_ so _embarrassed in my life!_

"I made dinner tonight," Miles continued, putting me gently from him and planting a gentle kiss on my lips. "And we're having tiramisu for dessert." A tired smile started to spread over my face. "I thought that you might enjoy that since we haven't had it for awhile."

He smiled shyly and, despite the awful shopping experience I'd had, I felt all that slowly melting away as I looked at Miles' beautiful features. There was just something about _that_ smile that lit up his entire face, giving him a beatific expression that warmed me right to my core. He was beautiful but that smile only served to make him even more appealing and I felt my knees starting to get weak which really wasn't a surprise since Miles _always_ had that effect on me, right from the very beginning of our relationship.

I had _everything_ I wanted with Miles in my life: all the happiness I could have ever dreamed of, a wonderful and loving-though occasionally prickly-man and a partner whom I could share my life with, not only just the good times but the bad as well knowing that, no matter what, he would be there by my side to be my rock if that was what I needed.

I looked up at him, a real smile spreading over my face which echoed Miles' in its sweetness and intensity. I could hear Miles' breath catch and, when I looked up and saw his shining eyes, I _knew_ beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was as happy as I.

"The dinner looks absolutely wonderful, Miles," I whispered against his mouth, planting a fervent kiss on his warm lips. "Thank you."

He blushed slightly as he returned my kiss with equal passion.

"You're welcome," he whispered tenderly, his fingers gently running through my hair. "Now let's eat before it gets cold."

I happily acquiesced but first I walked into the bedroom, opening the closet and putting Miles' Christmas gifts in the back compartment on my side underneath my blue court suits. Smiling, I trotted back to the kitchen, gave Miles a quick kiss on the cheek before I walked over to the table and sat down, my heart lighter than it had been in hours.

_Yes,_ I thought as I picked up my fork, _even though today was an unequivocal disaster in terms of Murphy's Law running amok, I must say that it all worked out rather nicely in the end._

I looked up and smiled at Miles as we began eating and noticed that he was looking at me with a bemused expression on his face. I had a momentary flash of unease before dismissing it forthwith and attacked my meal with gusto. It was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every mouthful.

After dinner, as we lingered over tiramisu and coffee, the last bits of my bad day had slipped away leaving a warm, contented feeling. I relaxed completely as we discussed the various events of our day and left the disaster at McCrary's firmly **OUT** of the conversation.

_Yes, Wright,_ I mused as Miles and I slipped off to the bedroom after the table was cleared, anticipation burning hot in us both. _It's turned out to be a really good day after all._

~Fin~


End file.
